THE NEW BLOOD ; OR FRESH FACES IN PARLIAMENT.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume VI, Issue 910, 2 October 1879, Page 2

THE NEW BLOOD ; OR FRESH FACES IN PARLIAMENT.

Mr. J. Fulton, the new member for Taieri, is a very old Otago settler. He arrived in that district with the second a party of colonists about the year 1849, and was made a J. P. soon afterwards. His career as a settler has been very successful, and until a short time ago he owned a fine run in the Taieri district. Last year he was elected chairman of the Taieri County Council. He also filled the post of R.M. for a considerable time, and is now chairman of the Board of Education. Shortly before his election to Parliament he refused the Resident Magistracy of Dunedin. Until he consented to stand at the recent election, Mr Fulton has never taken any active part in politics. The new member takes great interest in church matters, and is patron saint of the cricketers of his district. He is a quiet, unassuming conscientious man ; no great speaker, but will probably improve with practice. He is a staunch advocate of Bible-reading in schools, and goes into Parliament with the expressed intention of trying to reintroduce it in our State scheme of education. It is said that if successful in attaining this object, Mr. Fulton, who is an opponent to the Grey Ministry, will take the first opportunity of retiring from public life. Mr H. J. Finn, who fills the Wakatipu seat, lately graced by the refined and

gentlemanly Mr Manders, is not likely to emulate the fame of his predecessor in the liquid glow and ardour of his oratory, or in the ornamental but eccentric flights which the late member indulged in. Mr Finn, who is by profession a solicitor, is not yet known to colonial fame, but private advices represent him as a voluble, ' impulsive speaker, who, during the election campaign, earned himsel. the sobriquet of "Promising Harry," by the infinity and extravagance of his promises to the electors at the various meetings. He professed himself in favor of the present free and secular system of education, but if any denomination liked to build a school and bring their children up to the State standard, he would favor a capitation grant from Government. Mr Finn is believed to favor the Opposition, but professed, in his candidature, that he would support a reconstructed Ministry, provided Mr Macandrew were not elected Premier. Mr. George Ireland, the " fresh face " representing the Wakaia constituency, is unknown outside the boundaries of that district, which he represented for two sessions in the Provincial Council, where he ranged himself under the banner of Mr. Donald Reid. Be is essentially a miner's representative, with whose interests he is thoroughly identified. We have heard that he was educated for the ministry. He was a schoolmaster at Roxburgh -for a short time, and also took a conspicuous part in endeavoring to have the pastoral lands of his district opened up on the deferred payment system. He represented the Teviot District in the last Provincial Council of Otago, %nd is a strong denominationlist. Captain Colpeok, who supersedes Sir Robert Douglass in the representation of Marsden, was, until a few years ago, a manufacturer in England, and is now a large landowner in the Otamatea (Kaipara) District. He has only been in the Colony a little over two years, but in that short time he has done much good in promoting seetlement and opening up roads and steam communication in his district in the North. He is one of the most desirable class of colonists, having ample means and liberal ideas. When he arrived he bought a block of 22,000 acres from the Natives, and he proposes to bring out immigrants to settle it. He attended the last session j of Parliament as a. delegate from the northern settlers to urge upon Government their claims to railway communication. Captain Colbeck is one of the principal shareholders of the Kaipara Steam Navigation Company, which he promoted a year and a half ago, for the purpose of buying Captain Casey's steamers on the Kaipara and running them more to the advantage of the district. His candidature in the recent election was approved by Sir George Grey's Central Committee, and he will vote with the Government on the principal questions of the day. ' His election to the General Assembly is his first introduction to a political arena. Major Wiremu Te Wheoro, the newly elected member for the Western Maori District, is a chief of high rank. He has been acting in the capacity of assistant Government agent, in the Waikato for several years, and has always been a staunchly loyal native, while his influence with the Maori race may be judged from his.large majority in the recent election. Te Wheoro is a line looking man, of substantial build, and is about 45 years of age. He is an eloquent speaker in his own language, and has on more than one occasion done excellent service by quieting the turbulent native in his district. He belongs to the Ngatinaho division of the Waikato tribe. It was his action in giving to Governor Gore Browne a site for a school-house and police station at Te Kohekohe, near Mercer, which indirectly led up to the Waikato war. Te Wheoro's tribe did good service at the time of the war as a water transport corps previous to the permanent formation of a steam transport service. At the time of the fighting at Rangiora. Wiremu te Wheoro held the rank of captain of the New Zealand Militia, and he was promoted to be major in 1873, subsequent to Sullivan's murder at Pukekura, Waikato. He is clained as a supporter of the Grey administration. Honi Mohi Tawhai, the new represen-" tative of the North Maori District, is a chief of the Ngapuhi tribe. His father, Mohi Ta whi,. was one of the most en- i thusiastic native supporters of the Governduring Heke's war. His mother belongs to Taranaki. He resides at Waima, near Hakianga where he has considerable influence among his people, and formerly held the post of Native Assessor. He is younger than Te Wheoro, being only about 40 years of age. He is an argumentative, intelligent man, and will make an excellent representative. He is expected to vote for the Government.